What are integration links? What is integration? International economic integration

economic, the newest form of internationalization of economic life, expressed in the conditions of capitalism in the form of an organic combination of two factors - the mutual interweaving of private monopolies of different countries and the implementation of a coordinated state-monopoly policy in mutual economic relations and in relations with third countries. Internationalization is an objective process determined by the development of productive forces, one of the directions of internationalization of the economy, as a result of the development of productive forces. “...The entire economic, political and spiritual life of mankind,” wrote V.I. Lenin, “is increasingly internationalized under capitalism. Socialism will completely internationalize it” (Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 23, p. 318). The deep basis of internationalization is determined by the increasing size of enterprises and their incompatibility with the limited size of domestic markets (especially small countries), the advantages of the international division of labor, and the need for its sustainable, regular nature.

In bourgeois political economy, the objective nature of the process of change is often interpreted as one of the factors in the rapprochement of socialism and capitalism (see Convergence theory). This interpretation has no scientific basis. In fact, the integration processes taking place both in relations between socialist countries and in capitalist countries are fundamentally different in nature and act as one of the factors in the confrontation between socialism and capitalism.

I. capitalist - interstate associations formed after World War II (1939-45) in the process of state-monopoly regulation of the economy. Capitalist innovation in modern conditions represents a new stage of cooperation between monopolies of different countries in the process of economic expansion and in the struggle for the capture and redistribution of sales markets. It is developing in the form of regional economic blocs and groupings of states, covering certain parts of the capitalist world and being in complex antagonistic relationships with each other and with its non-integrated parts. Capitalist history arises on the basis of the law of uneven economic and political development of capitalism (see Uneven economic and political development of capitalism in the era of imperialism law (See Uneven economic and political development of capitalism law)). One of the aspects of this law is expressed in the fact that, other things being equal, imperialist countries with large populations have advantages associated with the greater capacity of the domestic market, which contributes to the optimality of enterprises and their greater competitiveness. In this regard, the monopolies of Western European countries were in a worse position compared to North American ones. Here, the need to expand markets beyond national borders, generated by the transition to mass and large-scale production, and the elimination of national economic barriers that prevented the formation of large economic complexes, was particularly evident here. The most important factor that contributed to India was the political situation in Western Europe after World War II: the collapse of plans for its unification through imperialist aggression, the victory of socialism in a number of countries in Central and Eastern Europe, and the collapse of the colonial system of imperialism. All this determined the special role of Western Europe as the homeland and main arena of mining. The first practical step of mining was the creation in 1951 by France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg of the European Coal and Steel Community (See European Coal and Steel Community); the second decisive step was the conclusion in 1957 of the Treaty of Rome on the formation by the same countries of the European Economic Community (See European Economic Community) (EEC) - the “Common Market” and at the same time the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). Although the Treaty of Rome was drafted under the motto of “liberalizing” the economic relations of the participating countries, the goal of the EEC is not to weaken state intervention in economic life, but to attempt to transform this intervention based on a combination of national and supranational means of regulating the economy.

From the very beginning, India followed the path of collective autarkism - the creation of closed economic blocs as new forms of struggle for the division and redistribution of markets. In 1960, as a counterweight to the EEC, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was created under the auspices of Great Britain.

Western European history contributed to the strengthening of international economic ties between the countries of imperialism, both as a whole and within integration associations. With the intensive growth of the volume of foreign trade in general, the share of mutual trade of the EEC countries increased by the beginning of 1970 by more than 6.3 times compared to 1958. Based on the expansion of markets, the centralization of production and capital increased, which, in turn, pushed the migration of capital both within EEC, and especially from third countries, primarily from the USA. The emergence of state integration groups contributed to the further development of private export of capital from some imperialist countries to others (for example, from the USA to Canada, to Australia, etc.), the rapid growth of inter- and multinational companies (see Export of capital), as one of important elements of the integration process.

At the same time, in the course of capitalist innovation, old contradictions become aggravated and new contradictions arise. Since the interests of the monopolies of individual countries often run counter to the program of economic independence, discussions on political innovation are resumed in the EEC from time to time, that is, on the creation of unified political bodies with the transfer to them of part of the sovereign rights of national bodies. The lack of progress in this area reflects the incompatibility of the interests of the participating countries in many areas. The contradictions between the EEC and EFTA are even more obvious. Relations between the United States and the EEC are characterized by constant attempts by American monopolies to penetrate the expanded European capital market and overcome the common customs wall created by the EEC against third countries. In these attempts, the role of the vanguard of the United States is played by Great Britain, which, together with Denmark and Ireland, has been a member of the EEC since January 1, 1973, which was resisted by some member countries of the EEC, whose ruling circles feared a violation of the existing balance of power to the detriment of their interests. Deep contradictions of interests both between integration groups and countries outside their borders, and within integration groups, emerged in connection with the deepening currency crisis of 1970-72.

Western European history has accelerated integration trends in some other parts of the capitalist world, especially in developing countries, where there are a number of groups that are outwardly similar to Western European ones. These are: in Latin America, the Central American Common Market [(CAOR) Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador (since 1960), Costa Rica (since 1962)], Latin American Free Trade Association [(LAST) Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Paraguay , Peru, Uruguay (since 1960), Ecuador and Colombia (since 1961), Venezuela (since 1966), Bolivia (since 1967)]. In Africa, in 1965, at a conference of West African countries - Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo - it was decided to create an intergovernmental organization to coordinate economic development. In 1966, the agreement on the Customs and Economic Union of Central Africa (Cameroon, People's Republic of Congo, Chad, Central African Republic, Gabon) came into force. In 1965, the agreement on the Arab common market (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, YAR, etc.) came into force. In June 1967, an agreement was signed on the formation of the East African Community (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda). The direction and activities of all these and other similar organizations depend to a great extent on the relationship of social, class and political forces both within the respective countries and on an international scale. Although some of these associations are temporarily dominated by pro-imperialist, neo-colonialist forces, in general their emergence is a progressive fact.

Lit.: International meeting of communist and workers' parties. Documents and materials, M., 1969, p. 285-330; On imperialist integration in Western Europe (“Common Market”). Theses of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the USSR Academy of Sciences, “World Economy and International Relations”, 1962, No. 9 (appendix); Western Europe: workers against monopolies, M., 1965; Economic groups in Western Europe, M., 1969; Political economy of modern monopoly capitalism, vol. 2, M., 1970; Maksimova M. M., Main problems of imperialist integration, M., 1971; Alampiev P. M., Bogomolov O. T., Shiryaev Yu. S., Economic integration is an objective need for the development of world socialism, M., 1971; Inozemtsev N.N., Modern capitalism: new phenomena and contradictions, M., 1972, p. 95-134.

Ya. A. Pevzner.

the process of ordering, coordination and unification of structures and functions in a complete organism, characteristic of living systems at each level of their organization. The concept of "I." introduced by the English scientist G. Spencer (1857), connecting it with differentiation (See Differentiation) tissues in the process of evolution and specialization of functions of initially homogeneous, diffusely reacting living matter. Examples of I. at the molecular level of organization: I. amino acids in a complex protein molecule, I. nucleotides in a nucleic acid molecule; at the cellular level - the design of the cell nucleus, self-reproduction of cells as a whole. In a multicellular organism, energy reaches the highest level, expressed in the processes of its ontogenesis; at the same time, the interconnection of the parts and functions of the body increases with progressive evolution; the system of correlations becomes more complex, regulatory mechanisms are created to ensure the stability and integrity of the developing organism. At the level of communities—populations, species, and biocenoses—I. manifests itself in the complex and interdependent evolution of these biological systems. The degree of I. can serve as an indicator of the level of progressive development of any living system.

In physiology, I. is the functional unification of private physiological mechanisms into complexly coordinated adaptive activity of the whole organism. The elementary unit of intelligence is a functional system—a dynamic combination of central-peripheral formations that ensures self-regulation of a specific function. The principles of physiological I. were revealed (1906) by the English physiologist C. Sherrington using the example of coordination of reflex activity of the spinal cord (convergence, reciprocity, common final path, etc.). These principles operate at all levels of the nervous system, including the cerebral cortex. The highest manifestation of physiological intelligence is a conditioned reflex (See Conditioned reflexes), in which mental, somatic, and vegetative components are combined to carry out the integral adaptive activity of the body.

Lit.: Shmalgauzen I.I., Integration of biological systems and their self-regulation, Bull. Moscow Society of Natural Scientists. Department of Biology", 1961, vol. 66, v. 2, p. 104-34; Anokhin P.K., Biology and neurophysiology of the conditioned reflex, M., 1968.

I. V. Orlov, A. V. Yablokov.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

Antonyms:

See what “Integration” is in other dictionaries:

Cultural state internal integrity of culture and coherence between diff. its elements, as well as the process that results in such mutual agreement. The term “I.K.”, used primarily in Amer. cultural... ... Encyclopedia of Cultural Studies

Integration: Wiktionary has an article “integration” Integration is cohesion, the unification of political, economic, government ... Wikipedia

- (lat.). The combination into one whole of what previously existed in a scattered form, followed by differentiation, that is, a gradual increase in the difference between initially homogeneous parts. From integration accompanied by differentiation... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (from Latin integer whole) unification of economic entities, deepening their interaction, developing connections between them. Economic integration takes place both at the level of national economies of entire countries, and between enterprises, firms,... ... Economic dictionary

- (Latin integratio restoration, replenishment, from integer whole), side of the development process associated with the unification of previously disparate parts and elements into a whole. I. processes can take place both within the framework of an already established system in this... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

integration- and, f. integration f. , lat. integratio. 1. Combining into a whole which l. parts. BAS 1. Process of integration and disintegration. OZ 1873 2 2 232. How strong are the foundations on which the integration of the community was previously accomplished. OZ 1878 5 1 120. 2.… … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

- (Latin integratio restoration, replenishment, from integer whole), a concept meaning the state of connectedness of individual differentiated parts and functions of a system into a whole, as well as the process leading to such a state (for example, integration in science ... Modern encyclopedia

Integration, association, connection, merger; merger Dictionary of Russian synonyms. integration see association 3 Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova ... Synonym dictionary

Turovets D.G.

The article examines and analyzes the essence of “integration”, “integration ties” in the food industry. The key problems faced by enterprises in the region are highlighted. The author's diagram of integration connections, a flexible integrated structure (which reflects the degree of their interaction) for use in practice is presented, and the main conclusions based on the results of the study are formulated. Key words: integration relations, food industry, food industry cluster.

The food industry, as world and domestic practice has shown, is one of the priority sectors of the national economy. Its successful development is the “first step” towards increasing the country’s food security and raising the level and quality of life of the population. On the contrary, its weakening in terms of a decrease in basic socio-economic indicators can create a real threat to the working capacity of the economically active population, since the level of labor productivity directly depends on the full provision of the population with high-quality and affordable food products.

Today, the food industry market in Russia is one of the most rapidly developing and highly competitive. There is strong competition for consumers, due to the rapid development of the global food industry and the constant emergence of new production and marketing technologies. To remain competitive, a manufacturer is forced to engage in an “innovation race,” regularly reviewing its product portfolio and launching new ideas onto the market.

Integration ties in the food industry are a key element of competitiveness and therefore must be established correctly. The formation of integrated structures in the food industry (integration links are developed precisely for the purpose of subsequent construction of integrated structures and their implementation in practice) is the basis for food industry enterprises to emerge from the crisis that has emerged over the last decade.

In connection with the need to increase the efficiency of economic, production and other activities of food industry enterprises, there is a growing need for restructuring, consolidation of business, and, as a consequence, the construction of special integrated structures, the definition of integration links between them. One of the ways to solve the problem of competitiveness of the food industry in the region should be a systematic approach to the development of an integral system for building integration links at food industry enterprises. In one of the reports on the development of the industry in question, E. Akbulatov at the annual meeting dedicated to the development of industries in the region, noted that agro-industrial integration, cooperation and integration ties between enterprises will contribute to an increase in the volume of products produced in the region.

The rapid, and at the same time dynamic, progressive development of the economy necessitates the development of a universal approach to the competitiveness of food industry enterprises based on integration ties. Integration links in conjunction with the main tools for increasing competitiveness will ensure more sustainable and efficient operation of enterprises over time.

The increasing importance of interaction between enterprises in modern conditions leads to the need for a more in-depth study of the essence of integration. Modern literature presents a significant number of scientific works that give a very ambiguous interpretation of the terms “integration”, “integration process”, “integration ties”.

Without going into a detailed analysis of the content of scientific research on this issue, we have highlighted key concepts. By integration, the author understands “the unification of economic entities, the deepening of their interaction, the development of connections between them.”

Integration allows enterprises to achieve and maintain certain positions in the market by solving the following problems:

• - pooling of resources - intellectual, technological, financial, marketing - to achieve a synergistic effect and diversify activities;
• - optimization of R&D costs, organization of the technological process, corporate governance, promotion and support of goods to achieve maximum savings and increase business profitability;
• - minimizing commercial risks by obtaining guaranteed access to target markets. The purpose of the integration association, as such, according to I.O. Sorokina, is to deepen interaction between participants to strengthen their ties.

By “integration processes” the author understands the processes of combining assets by subjects of market relations within a single process with or without the formation of a new company. Integration ties, in turn, are designed to establish a strong relationship between enterprises, thereby creating a powerful reserve for strengthening industrial potential, which determines the future development of the industry.

An integration structure, in turn, can be designated as a stable group of cooperatively related participants, united on the basis of the voluntary transfer of part of their rights to one of the participants - the central (parent) company and subordination to the common interests of the integrated structure as a whole.

The principles of integration of market participants are the most general, fundamental rules and recommendations that they should follow when conducting joint activities. Large integrated structures, according to the author, can be organized in the form of the following companies:

• - holding companies created by introducing state blocks of shares of enterprises into their authorized capital;
• - holding structures based on private and mixed (with state participation) capital and existing in the form of multi-level chains of parent companies. Their undeniable advantage lies in the extreme complexity and opaque organization of financial flows;

It is worth remembering that the integration process is quite labor-intensive and requires significant costs and resources. The main condition for intensifying the activities of food industry enterprises can be the development of integration ties as the most important factor in stabilizing the economy. It is important to consider integration ties not only as a means of stabilizing the economic situation of a region or an individual enterprise, but also as a factor in the development of the production and sales base of an enterprise or complex of enterprises.

Having analyzed the works of leading scientists on the problem of integration, we came to the conclusion that at present there are three main types of integration. In the economic sphere, there are three main ways to increase the potential of an organization: “horizontal integration”, “vertical integration”, “diversification”. This classification needs to be considered in more detail, since for the further construction of a scheme of integration connections, tested at food industry enterprises, this conceptual apparatus is simply necessary.

• 1. Vertical integration - production and organizational association, merger, cooperation, interaction of enterprises related by common participation in the production, sale, consumption of a single final product: suppliers of materials, manufacturers of components and parts, assemblers of the final product, sellers and consumers of the final product.
• 2. Horizontal integration - merging enterprises, establishing close interaction between them “horizontally”, taking into account the joint activities of enterprises that produce homogeneous products and use similar technologies.
• 3. Diversification “by its nature” is based on the conscious investment of capital in a number of functionally unrelated industries and industries.

Belyakov G.P. rightly notes that currently there are three types of integration mechanisms in Russian industry. The first type implements control opportunities associated with the possession of property titles of the merged enterprises. The second type uses levers for coordinating joint activities based on regulating access to individual production resources. Finally, the third type of mechanisms is based on the voluntary centralization of a group member and the transfer of a number of powers. The combination and restructuring of typical integration structures in practice “to suit your needs” serves as the foundation that will contribute to the comprehensive development of the food industry.

An analysis of the problems of forming integration processes in the country allows us to conclude that it is necessary to use a systematic approach to developing an effective strategy to improve the main indicators of the food industry. Irreversible market processes put pressure on the most vulnerable (“bottleneck”) areas of enterprises, which are poorly prepared to take the right strategic, tactical and managerial steps and decisions. By carrying out activities together, developing according to the principle of “intercompany partnership,” enterprises will receive benefits in the form of: a) gaining experience through the mutual exchange of information, knowledge, and competencies; b) equal distribution of shares in the company’s share capital; c) reducing risk and uncertainty from making (non-making) relevant decisions.

Having identified the need for integration, building a flexible integrated structure and subsequent establishment of integration links, the author proposes a diagram that clearly reflects the feasibility of using this tool for implementation at food industry enterprises. Its use from testing in practice is intended to increase production efficiency through externally attracted resources (personnel, financial, information, etc.), which ultimately should find its logical confirmation in labor productivity indicators, actual industry growth rates, etc.

Analysis of trends and patterns of development of the analyzed industry clearly showed that the activities of enterprises (OJSC Milko, KPC Food Company, OJSC Krasnoyarsk Bread, OJSC Siberian Province, etc.), although not unprofitable, are fully is not effective. The region has virtually no manufacturing facilities of its own. The level of production capacity and its technical equipment do not meet established standards. Everywhere one can observe an excess of the share of imports in the gross output of industrial production. The degree of interaction between enterprises is poorly established; integration ties at most enterprises are weakly expressed. Coordinated and concerted efforts are needed to manage the food industry more effectively.

Optimizing the activities of food industry enterprises is the key to increasing the competitiveness of the food industry, subject to a number of conditions:

• - orientation of production towards the production of various types of food products (infant formula, deep processing of raw materials, reduction of the duration of the “production cycle”, optimization of sales and purchasing activities; improvement of management and control procedures for supply chains in the industry (transport logistics);
• - review and adjustment of standard “business processes” at enterprises;
• - establishing and improving a feedback mechanism with local governments, agriculture, wholesale and retail trade;

Rice. 1. Flexible Integrated Food Industry Structure (GIS)

Correct and effective construction of integration links, an integration chain of connections between enterprises. The identified problems in the food industry require a new high-quality approach to creating a flexible integrated structure and building integration ties in the food industry. The author proposes a diagram reflecting the essence of an adaptive integrated structure for the food industry. This structure is classified by the author as universal (can be recommended both for the food industry and others) (Fig. 1).

Possessing, on the one hand, sustainable marketing potential (the ability to successfully supply products in the domestic market) and, on the other hand, attracting the necessary investments to expand their activities, enterprises receive double benefits. It is obvious that integration ties in this case will be aimed at establishing the degree of interaction between enterprises and increasing the overall synergistic effect from joint activities. The formation of an integration structure at a food industry enterprise of this type will make it possible to fully use the accumulated potential (including information, production, scientific, trade, financial components) and thereby contribute to the development of the food industry in the region.

Of particular interest to us is the last level of GIS. Being in a single structure, the manufacturer and distributor can jointly develop requirements for high-quality new products and plan a production program. The transition to a flexible, centralized production management system is especially important for the competitiveness of food industry enterprises as a large holding. The author is of the following opinion: “the introduction of this integrated structure, which, on the one hand, has powerful functionality, and on the other hand, is flexible and adaptable to the needs of a particular enterprise” is the basis for the future development of food industry enterprises.”

The construction of a GIS, as already noted, determines the feasibility of using integration links in production. The more correctly the mechanism of coherence, interaction and coordination of divisions and departments at a particular enterprise is developed, the effectiveness of integration links is considered to be higher. The benefits of building integration links and including them in the designated structure are shown in Fig. 2.

Integration connections are designed to connect a number of key elements, the analysis of which is advisable, since the most significant indicators of the industry depend on the degree of penetration of one production sphere into another, on the way in which the work of production, marketing, and sales links in the product chain is organized. Let us consider each of the elements in the presented diagram for its significance.

• 1. In the process of building an integration chain due to the mutual strengthening of production, an alternative arises for more successful management of production, marketing, sales and other potentials. By reducing duplication of operations in production, enterprises gain an additional competitive advantage.
• 2. Increasing the efficiency of production management based on the interaction of services and departments within enterprises will occur in a coordinated manner.
• 3. Labor productivity serves as an important lever in ensuring the competitiveness of the region's food industry. Taking into account the experience of Western companies, it is worth striving to ensure that the share of manual labor is minimal, and, if necessary, revised taking into account the specifics of the specific product produced at the enterprise.
• 4. In the process of interaction of enterprises with each other within the framework of one cluster (in our case, the “food industry cluster”), it is worth striving to reduce the production time of products in compliance with the necessary requirements imposed on it from a technological point of view. The effectiveness of cooperation between enterprises can also be manifested in the distribution of risk and responsibility in the event of adopting an effective (losing) version of the development strategy. The lower the likelihood of new potential competitors entering the industry, the higher the synergistic effect from the interaction of enterprises with each other. The closer enterprises are dispersed within one cluster to the leading raw materials center (“food industry cluster”), the lower the costs of transportation and storage of products, and the higher the possibility of finding additional reserves and attracting resources for the development of activities.

Rice. 2. Benefits of using integration links in the food industry

5. Economic, tax, price barriers are the main key components of the development of food industry enterprises.

• 6. Flexibility and adaptability of enterprises can be achieved through the creation of a vertically integrated industrial company with a full production and sales cycle, covering all parts of the product chain. For example, when producing meat products, we can carry out our activities through the production of compound feed, production of meat products and their subsequent sale on the market.
• 7. Market conditions also affect the ability of enterprises to be, to a certain extent, competitive. Depending on the economic situation, tastes and preferences of consumers, the strategic steps taken by companies in order to retain a specific market segment for their products depend. The purpose of integration communication in this case is to establish production and output in such a way that supply fully satisfies effective demand.
• 8. Over the past years, there has been a clear trend in the food industry towards a transition to the use of resource-saving technologies in food production. The emphasis is on the fact that the technology should be revised, in which the raw materials remaining from primary processing continue to work in the production cycle, and after the final stage can be used in the production of a new high-quality product. The use of so-called resource-saving technologies in your production has one important advantage: the cost of the manufactured product is reduced, transportation and operating costs are reduced. In addition, the saved accumulated funds can be used to develop your activities.

Based on the study, the following conclusions can be formulated:

• 1. One of the obvious ways to increase the competitiveness of the industry under consideration is identified by the author as integration links, the introduction of a flexible universal integrated structure for industrial production management.
• 2. Building integration ties, as the study showed, is one of the priority areas for the development of the food industry in the current conditions. The creation of a single food cluster (one of the elements identified by the author when building integration links), uniting a group of enterprises according to a number of criteria and parameters (economic, social, etc.) is an important condition for increasing the potential of the food industry, bringing output and production indicators to required values, improving the quality of life, ensuring food security for the industry as a whole.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• 1. Belyakov G.P. Integration processes in economics: problems, searches, solutions. Monograph / G. P. Belyakov - M.: MAI Publishing House; Good word, 2003. - 243 p.
• 2. Big economic dictionary / ed. A.N.Azriliyan. - M.: Institute of New Economics, 2004, 434 p.
• 3. Oksanich, N.V. Construction of an integrated management structure for a food holding company / N. V. Oksanich // Food industry. - 2008. - No. 38. - p.24-27.
• 4. Program of socio-economic development of the region for 2007 - Administration of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. - 2007. - 92 p.
• 5. Sorokina, I.O. Theoretical foundations of the concept of “integration” and the principles of its implementation / I. O. Sorokina // Management in Russia and abroad. - 2008. - No. 2. p.3-6.

Bibliographic link

Do you know how a damask blade is made? Take several strips of hard steel and several strips of tough low-carbon iron. They put them together, heat them in a forge and begin to forge, welding all the strips together into one rod. Cool, heat again and forge again. After several sessions of such treatment, the rod acquires completely new properties. The metal in it becomes hard like steel and elastic like iron, and a pattern appears on the surface of the forged blade. There were two metals, but the result was one, unlike any of the previous ones.

This is integration. Several parts are united together, and in such a way that this new association can no longer be separated. Strong connections were formed between the parts, they merged, became one whole, a new compound, alloy, essence, with new properties.

The word integration itself comes from the Latin word “integratio” - “connection”. The mathematical term “integral” goes back to the same word - the sum of an infinitely large number of infinitesimal quantities.

It is very important that integration is a process. The combined parts do not remain in the same state, but begin to interact with each other, changing one another, losing their previous properties and acquiring new ones. If, after a certain time, the combined parts cannot be broken apart by any effort, then integration has occurred and a new entity has been formed.

Integration can occur in a variety of spheres of life, science and technology. Let's look at a few examples.

1. Economic integration is a process during which rapprochement, mutual adaptation and merging of enterprises, industries and even national economic systems occurs.

For example, in Europe at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, mining and processing enterprises were merged into mining and metallurgical plants. Small mines and factories merged into one enterprise with a single management and common infrastructure. This led to reduced losses and increased quality and competitiveness. At the same time, the production process at each of the merged enterprises changed so much that after several years they became completely different.

Another process taking place at the same time in the economy was the unification of industrial enterprises under the auspices of banks (the formation of industrial and financial capital). As a result, powerful and aggressive monopolies emerged that could be compared to economic dreadnoughts. Mutual mergers - which is typical - changed both the nature of production and the nature of banking activities.

In our time and, one might say, before our eyes, the successful integration of the economies of European states into a single European Union has taken place. This integration began after the Second World War and went through several stages: customs union, common market, economic and monetary union. Currently, many European enterprises are multinational, and state borders have ceased to play an important role in economic life (and in political life too).

At the same time - and we also witnessed this - the attempt at economic and national integration within the Soviet Union ended in failure. The USSR economy turned out to be insufficiently integrated. The new unified community, the Soviet people, which communist propagandists talked about, also did not work out. Although the anthem of the USSR sang about the “Unbreakable Union of Free Republics,” this union turned out to be completely “unbreakable.” It is likely that integration processes have not yet progressed far enough. Or maybe no real integration was carried out?

2. Social integration. This process occurs in society constantly at various levels. When entering school or work, each of us became a member of the team. If you remember your own experience, the process of joining a team is always difficult and not always pleasant.

The book “Fear and Trembling” by the Belgian writer Amélie Nothomb describes a case of absolutely unsuccessful social integration of a European girl into a Japanese work group. The girl was unable to assimilate Japanese norms of behavior; the Japanese could not (or did not want) to accept her as “one of their own.” A film was made based on this book - I recommend watching it.

But in James Clavell’s novel “Shogun” and in the film based on this novel, an example of successful social integration in Japan is given, albeit in the 17th century. An Englishman becomes the ruler of the country!

Now many people are watching the Turkish TV series “The Magnificent Century,” which shows an example of equally successful social integration. A girl from Ukraine Roksolana became the wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

But whether the social integration of the Moor Othello in the Venetian Republic was successful, I leave it to the readers to think about.

Russia now faces the great task of social integration of the so-called guest workers from Muslim countries, former union republics of the USSR. How this process will end – only God knows. Moreover, no work is being done “from above” in this direction.

3. Information integration. This process occurs in information systems when there is a need to share information collected by different departments. When integrating information, databases can be merged or data can be converted “on the fly” using special programs. In any case, after a certain time, the databases, even if they still belong to different departments, are no longer possible to separate. Typically, this results in the creation of a new shared database. What is the bottom line for ordinary people? Using one identification number, government and industrial banking structures can obtain all information about us. On the one hand, it’s “scary”: we are all “under the hood.” On the other hand, it’s convenient: the number of required documents can be reduced to almost one, an identity card. No certificates, no statements or reports!

4. And, so to speak, for dessert, I would like to note that the Top Author.ru community is now also in the process of integration. A certain team is formed from individual authors. I won’t say like-minded people, but collaborators. It seems to me that the integration process here is not going well enough. Perhaps this is due to the fact that there are still too few of us? Haven't you reached critical mass, so to speak? Or are we not too active? Or should the administration add some new functionality to the site? Again, I invite readers to think about this.